2024-01-10T07:48:28+00:00
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/ The Action Group Against Armed Violence (AOAV) revealed, on Wednesday, an increase in the number of civilian casualties in armed conflicts during the year 2023.
The group, which is based in the British capital, London, stated that the year 2023 witnessed a 122% increase in the death toll of civilians resulting from armed conflicts worldwide, compared to the year 2022.
It showed that there was a 69% increase in incidents of the use of explosive weapons, as well as air strikes responsible for 67% of deaths among civilians, and in towns and cities, 90% of those affected by explosive weapons were civilians.
She pointed out that the “Iron Swords” operation launched by the Israeli army in Gaza contributed significantly to this increase, as 37% of the total civilian casualties worldwide were attributed to it.
The year 2023 witnessed the largest number of civilians affected since AOAV records began in 2010, with 33,846 civilians killed or injured. It also witnessed the largest number of weapons used, with 7,307 harmful incidents reported (the second highest percentage since 2010 in 2022 with 4,322 accidents).
The group’s executive director, Ian Overton, said: “The past year proved to be the most damaging to civilians due to explosive violence since we began our monitoring in 2010,” noting that “battles and clashes in Ukraine and Sudan have contributed to raising the number of casualties.”
He stated, “Since October 7, 2023, when the war began with a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel, there has been a huge increase in incidents of civilian deaths.”